Evidently There IS Somebody Out There...

And his name is Dirk Yarborough, of http://dirkbag.com/          Dirk got ahold of both Jackie and me this afternoon, in regard to the photo of Which One's Pink? that I posted on the blog. Dirk has been "shooting" the band for eight years now and wanted to let us know of more of his work, on his own website. Check it out - there's some pretty great photography on there! He's also available for weddings, bar mitzvahs and parties (especially for those of you in CA), as well as taking him on tour with your rock band (Jackie)!

And you thought no one read these things! Thanks, Dirk - have a rockin' weekend, everyone!

Is There Anybody Out There?...

The "Summer of Tanya, 2010 Edition" is O-fficially in full swing! Wednesday night, Jackie D. and her sister, Christy (in from CA for a huge art "affair" here in town), invited me to join them for dinner and a show. What a GREAT evening out! The LV Hilton is bringing in two months worth of tribute bands, every Wed. night. We were treated to an incredible evening of the music of the 60's/70's "psychedelic/progressive" rock band Pink Floyd, as performed by the L.A. based cover band, WHICH ONE'S PINK? (in reference to a question the originals were asked many times, during their career). If you ever run across a chance to see these boys in action, GO!

I think we were all more than overwhelmed at just how much this band sounded like the original, and might just be comparing all tribute bands to come, to what we heard last night! One of us was a little hot and bothered in her seat, during the course of the evening. Yes, Jackie is probably checking into a new career as a Pink Floyd cover band "roadie" - I would make sure to check out her One Creative Cat blog to see if she found a naked picture!

"Soul Sacrifice", LIVE...

Although it was the norm in the 50’s to have your kids at a younger age, and I would have loved to have been old enough to go to the original Woodstock, I guess I should be thankful that my Mom wasn’t pregnant at 11 just so her firstborn could make the concert! I doubt my parents would have let me go anyway…we did live in CO, and Max Yasgur’s farm was quite a distance from there. I just have to be content with watching the movie on PBS every time it comes on, and listening to my CDs. I draw the line at getting naked and bathing in the backyard, however.

As it is, I did finally get to see Carlos Santana perform “Soul Sacrifice” Saturday night, at the Hard Rock Hotel/Casino, thanks to a pretty wonderful evening out with my husband. If they had played nothing else the entire evening, that song alone was WELL worth my price of admission, and I can get on with my life now without wondering what it would have been like “live”, had my Mom been a little bit on the “loose” side.

The evening started with "Black Magic Woman"; on through the biggest hits (including the most recent ones); an incredible cover they did of Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love”; and ended with the rousing encore from Woodstock. I had to smile as they came back onstage to the famous “chant” that rose through the masses at the concert in ‘69, with a video montage of them at that event on the screen behind them on this incredible stage – the crowd at the Hard Rock may have “outchanted” the recording! Yes, I felt just like I was there – without my parent’s help!  Thanks for the concert, Lou!  Love, ME

A Charming Addendum...

As promised, a picture of my bouquet of flowers from yesterday, atop Jackie's darling "presentation" card...as always, you can click on the photo to enlarge it.  Yeah, my eyes aren't what they used to be, either!  To all my creative, "charming friends", thank you..."I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers" ~ Claude Monet

A Charming Tea Party Among Friends...

I belong to a group of dear friends who get together during the year and exchange handmade charms (as in "bracelet").  Every three months or so, a theme is thrown out and we all run in our own creative direction with it.  We have done "Vegas", "Wizard of Oz", "Romantic", "Creepy" (as in Halloween), and "Anything Goes", at the onset of this group.  This time Betty invited us to do "Flowers", and hosted a "charming" tea party at her house today.  Grand hats were sported and a wonderful time seemed to be had by all - I may just have to wear my hot pink number on Kentucky Derby Day...sitting right here in my house, in front of the TV.  Such a special "Who" hat with "whoopdedoos" (technical term) and sproinging black feathers should NOT be hidden away in a hatbox!  The Queen would be jealous!

I did my "home" state flower for my charms...the blue and white Columbine from CO...using frosted German lucite flower components; Sarovski crystal centers;  vintage Vaseline Glass leaves (they fluoresce under UV light); and brass filigree bead caps.  I got some pretty bloomin' great charms in exchange, but those will be pictures for another day.  Heading to see Santana at the Hard Rock with my husband tonight...gotta' go wash the hat hair out!

These Things I Know...

1.  I LOVE this bracelet (Brick, Ladder, Ndebele and Peyote Stitches, all in one application);

2.  I will NEVER make this bracelet again (OK, so I am probably overreacting - let's just say I will not make it with as many crystals on the rivoli...see #3 below);

3.  ONE row of crystals per rivoli, shall suffice;

4.  Sewing "DOUBLE-crystal row rivolis" to bracelets tend to bring migraines back (my eyes feel like the Bonzo Dog's look...he's an antique pincushion, and that would be what my fingers feel like tonight);

5.  Getting a good picture of a bracelet is a B**CH, thus only half of it shows - that's what imaginations are for;

6.  The smoke monster/black shirt dude that is now in Locke's body must remove everyone from the ISLAND, but he cannot kill them to do it; and

7.  My evening shall be "BEADLESS", as in I am hitting the couch running to watch the Olympics and then, Project Runway.  "Because, as you know in fashion, one day you are in...and, the next day, you're out!" 

GO TEAM USA!

Happy Valentines Day...

I told Colleen a year ago, when she did a Rivoli class, that if I ever did one, it would be a sunflower...for some reason, it's what I pictured when looking at the beautiful one she had done in purples.  Well, here it is - probably more of a Black Eyed Susan, actually, but my version of that sunflower that I envisioned - two different color Swarovskis in a double row of "petals".  This will sit atop a bracelet, eventually - I'm sure a follow-up picture is in the works, down the line.  AND, I started on the black one this evening, while Olympic watching - it slipped from my hands in the stage before the crystals, and dropped to the floor - sadly to say, crystal Rivolis do not survive tile floor "incidents".

And, while I was tempted to post another picture of Mr. Flay on here for the romantic occasion, this Civil War age tintype arrived in my mail today - just in time to save us all. She has the prettiest face - she's wearing a beaded cherry necklace and earrings, and the flowers in her hair have a hand painted greenery added to them.  No wedding ring, but I'm sure she was a treasured catch for someone.  Hope you have a treasured catch to spend the day with, too - if not, there's a real nice picture of Bobby Flay on here, somewhere.  XOXO - Happy Valentines Day!

The Wolfman Cometh...

What a marvelously busy Friday!  Morning festivities at Sunset Station with Jackie, Patty and Pat...lots of laughs that spilled over into brunch with a drunken waiter (actually, it probably really WAS the cold medicine he told us he took), who provided us with even more laughs.  Then, it was off to the movies with my daughter.  Ended the day watching all of the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics (right up to the glitch in lighting the torch...Wayne Gretsky's facial expressions were priceless, as he waited) - a full day, for sure, and a great one, at that.

The Wolfman opened yesterday, and I never turn down the opportunity to see a good, scary movie (actually I've seen some bad, scary movies too...I'm not too picky).  Jaci won't usually watch those with me, but told me that she would go because "werewolves aren't real, like ghosts", silly girl (of course, they're real!).  Actually, she went for Benicio del Toro - Anthony Hopkins was wonderful, too, as he always is.  Blood and gore in this one (don't say I didn't forewarn you...actually it was nothing more than your standard "werewolf violence" on the ratings chart), along with some pretty great special effects...scenery was dark and beautiful.  Yeah, I guess I liked the flick - two thumbs up!

When the Music's Over...

"Girls Night Out" took Jackie, Colleen and me to the Las Vegas Hilton last night to see a Doors tribute band called Wild Child.  Since I was too young to have seen him in real life (Jim Morrison died in '71), this was a pretty close second.  I had a wonderful time...drinks and laughs with Charlie (Jackie's husband), beforehand (thanks again, Charlie...next time I'll get the MGD) and hits from my all-time favorite band's repertoire.  I issued Jackie and Colleen a challenge, before the concert was over, to post a sexy picture of "The Lizard King"/"Mr. Mojo Risin'" (which I just found out was an anagram of his name) on their blogs (One Creative Cat and The Bead Metaler)...heading over there now to see what they found.  I pulled LOTS, but the bare-chested ones were too obvious and this does have those leather britches and that famous sexy, "brooding" thing of his, going on.

Tiny Treasures Travelogue

It's still raining here in Vegas, though I'm VERY thankful it's not the snow my folks are getting in Denver, nor "Snowmaggedon" on the East Coast - we can handle cold and rainy, any day, compared to that.  I grew up in the snow...I miss my mountains terribly during the summer months, but not the winters - sorry, Mom and Dad.

Been playing with crystals this week, and turned out a few more Swarovski hearts...two of them in tiny size.  The larger ones were done with 4mm crystals...these two small ones (and yes, it is sitting on a nickel, so you can get an idea) were done with 3mm's...73 in each heart, to be exact - and yes, I might be out of my tiny mind.

The tiny girls are antique Frozen Charlottes from Colleen (The Boss)...they live together in the tiny matchbox.  The all white one is only an inch and a quarter tall - the black haired darling has her legs encased in a thimble full of beeswax for conditioning thread for beading and hand sewing.  And while I was playing with all these tiny things today, it brought to mind a childhood memory...Tiny Town!

Tiny Town is just that...a tiny town, just west of Denver, nestled in the foothills past Morrison (Turkey Creek Canyon).  The entire little town (not just one or two houses, but an entire town) was constructed in 1/6th scale size by a loving dad, for his little girl, in 1915.  It was opened to the public in 1920. My parents took us there when we were little (in the 60's, OK - just want to make that clear!  I was born in '58, not 1920)...I moved away before I got a chance to take my own children.  I used to drive home from work through that canyon occasionally, to see the aspens turning, and last time I was by, the little town was in pretty sad shape.  I was happy to find out that it was renovated in 1988 - they even have a tiny railroad and train now.  http://www.tinytownrailroad.com/  Nope, I do not know who the giant baby in the picture is...I think he is looking for a tiny, little snack.

Be Still My Beating Heart...

You probably thought it was going to be another picture of Bobby, from the title...

Marie (Ann Tonette...she lives in my sewing room) is "head over heels"...and, I'm not typically a "heart" girl, but I do love these little Swarovski crystal hearts, too.  With a couple of chains or ribbons, these will make wonderful little gifts for some special people this upcoming Valentine's Day...I may even have to keep one for myself, much as I hate to admit it.  Under the always helpful tutelage of "The Boss", Ms. Bead Metaler, I struggled through the first one, but kept my head about me enough to finish two this evening.  73 crystals in each one, and lots of lip biting involved, but the end results are fabulous!

Rain in Vegas most of the day today, and this evening...cold and dreary enough to make us stay inside, huddled under those blankets, but NOTHING compared to our friends on the east coast!  Stay safe if you go out in it - we HEART you!  Happy Super Bowl weekend...hope you don't overindulge, too badly..."Let them eat cake!"

Etsy Shop, Up and Running...

Well, it took a few days longer than I expected, but the Etsy site is up and running - link to it on the right hand side there (how can you miss that glaring advertisement?!  And, thanks for stopping by - really!)  I forgot how much works goes into taking acceptable pictures, writing descriptions, and all the little details the listing entails...but, they're there - at least the jewelry items are.  Barkcloth travel jewelry rolls are next in line to be photographed and listed, but I am good for right now.  Haircolor and housecleaning on the agenda today.

AND...the final season of LOST premiered last night and left me with even more questions...ones they are supposed to answer before it's finally all over.  All the hot guy eye candy was back (Sawyer, Desmond, Sayid, Locke...OK, I'll throw that whiney Jack in there, too - the only thing that would be better would be if my Bobby Flay were dropped onto the island with them), along with the evil Smoke Monster, who kicked ass and took names!

Mr. February...

"Yes, I love that man of mine!" (to steal a quote from "Beetlejuice").  I would think this needs no explanation.  HAPPY FEBRUARY 1st - have a wonderful day, however you spend it.  I am finishing up and photographing today...probably daydreaming of that Ultimate Throwdown, too - XOXOXO

P.S.  The final season of LOST premieres tomorrow night, in case anyone has been sleeping.  There are several boys on there that should be on this post too, but those might just have to be pictures for February 2nd.